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Kim Jong-il’s mystery visit to China prompts intrigue
North Korean leader is saidto have taken his successor,youngest son Kim Jong-un
An unlikely tourist, North Korea's Kim Jong-il is reported to be visiting China on his personal armoured train with his youngest son - and successor-in-waiting - Kim Jong-un. The timing of the visit suggests it is an urgent one, prompting intense speculation as to its purpose.
The North Korean and Chinese authorities did not confirm any of the Dear Leader's previous five visits until after the event - and Beijing has no comment on this trip - but South Korean intelligence services say they are sure he is travelling.
South Korea routinely monitors Jong-il’s movements and the latest report comes from an unnamed South Korean official who spoke to the South Korean Yonhap news agency.
The official said: "We have signs that Kim Jong-il is visiting China. It's unclear whether he has arrived or still on the move. We are still trying to grasp his exact destination and the purpose of the visit."
The timing of the visit is a puzzle on two counts. First, it comes the day after former US president Jimmy Carter flew to Pyongyang to secure the release of an American prisoner. It is unheard of for Kim to leave the country while he has such an important visitor and there have been no reports that the two men met before his departure.
Second, the weather is not propitious at this time of year for a trip. Just last weekend, the Yalu River which separates China from North Korea was badly flooded, disrupting the crossing at the Chinese city of Dandong where Kim’s luxury train would normally pass.
A receptionist at a Dandong hotel told the Los Angeles Times that last time Kim passed through town there were "police all over the place, sealing off the bridge and streets", adding: "There was nothing like that, not last night or today."
The Dear Leader, who is now 68, is understood to be in poor health after a stroke two years ago and is grooming his Swiss-educated youngest son, who speaks several languages, to take over. Kim Jong-un's presence may indicate it is a courtesy call to introduce him to the Chinese. Could the urgency of the trip hint that Kim Senior has taken a turn for the worse?
Another explanation is that the already-dire humanitarian crisis in North Korea has been worsened to breaking point by flooding. By this reckoning, Kim may be going cap-in-hand to tell the Chinese he is willing to return to the six-party talks on his nuclear programme they chair. ·
